Penny and Lucy went outside this morning only to discover a bird perched on one of the patio chairs. I managed to snap this picture before they started to bother it. As it turns out, the poor bird was injured and could barely fly to the fence (pictured in the background). Unfortunately, it didn’t land on the top of the fence, but in the middle, so the dogs continued to bug it. Finally it jumped through the fence into the neighbor’s yard, and safety.
I’m sure one of Lucy’s twitch-inducing dreams is to have the ability to fit through the fence. Rabbits, possums, birds, everything eludes her because of that darn fence.
Well, Friday’s the day I guess. The day when people will be lined up for the latest from Steve Jobs and his California-based money-making machine. I won’t be one of those lined up: I’m not sure how interested I really am, and even if I was, I can’t justify the expense. Plus, reviews have been mixed. Continue reading ‘Coming soon’
Another episode has arrived, early even!
Let me just say, you don’t need an iPod to enjoy the podcast. You can listen to it by clicking the “this episode” link below and playing or saving it. Or, to listen to it while viewing this page, just click the play button below. If you’re a bit more tech-savvy, you can subscribe to the podcast with this link. Continue reading ‘Dog Walk #002: Penny and Jason on politics, anti-social networking, and obstructing the View’
Differences: instead of my enemies, I ate with Deb; the oil was on the salad; and my cup, despite the picture in the menu, ranneth not over.
(To compare, see Psalm 23:5 KJV)
Two articles caught my eye this week:
firstborn men have, on average, an IQ that is about 2.3 points higher than those who are second-born. The trend continues such that second born men have higher IQs than their third-born brothers, and so on.
the second-born son is 33 percent more likely than the first to be gay, and the third is 33 percent more likely than the second, and so on
So, I thought I’d try my hand at podcasting. Below the initial fruits of my (minimal) labor: episode one. The premise is obvious enough: a podcast recorded while walking the dog(s). Today’s episode features some introductory material and some thoughts on what podcasts I listen to and like. Continue reading ‘Dog Walk #001: Lucy and Jason on Podcasts’
Published on June 14, 2007
in General.
Earlier this week I got back my wedding band. It turns out that the downside to losing 40 pounds is that nothing fits anymore, from shirts and pants to, yeah, jewelry. The one thing that hasn’t changed size (besides my feet, I guess) is the one thing I wish would: my head. I could use a smaller head both literally (so I can find hats and caps that fit) and figuratively (I guess I can be a bit full of myself at times.)
Anyway, now my wedding band won’t just fall off my hand anymore. It was bad enough last summer in Mombasa (when it fell into the Indian Ocean and I was ridiculously lucky finding it at low tide), but recently it would fall off just getting out of bed. Literally. One morning I came back upstairs from letting the dogs out and saw it on the floor, next to the bed.
New clothes and resizing jewelry are the expensive part. Otherwise eating healthier has actually been less expensive for us. I know that studies show that poorer Americans have less access to and ability to buy nutritious food, but cooking at home instead of going out has saved us a bunch of money, and the types of meals we have are relatively inexpensive. We eat a lot of rice, and every other day or so we have chicken, or hamburgers, or hot dogs. Breakfast rotates between cereal, oatmeal, pancakes, and French toast. Skim milk, egg substitute, low-calorie bread, and no-calorie maple syrup keep those breakfasts from getting out of hand.
I might start posting a few recipes here, since I’m doing so much cooking but I always forget to bookmark the sites where I find recipes I like.
Now if only I could do something about the size of my head.
So as I start to think about my upcoming research trip, I’ve also begun to wonder whether there’s anything I want to see in the UK during my layover of yet-to-be-determined length. Last time I was in London I did the tourist-thing on the cheap, spending most of my time out-of-doors and taking in the sights that way. Didn’t go in any churches, only went in one museum: you get the idea.
One thing I did get to see in this way is a site I recommend to anyone who might be into stamps, blue plaques, and/or world’s firsts: the spot where the General Letter Office stood from 1653-1666, in which the first postmarks in the world were struck in 1661.
Wanderlust-stricken philatelists might also travel to Malindi, in Kenya, in order to visit the German Postal Museum there. Malindi is, of course, one of a number of East African island destinations. Unlike Mombasa, which outside of Old Town has become quite urban and modern in the last century or so, and Zanzibar, with its tourist-ridden Stone Town, Malindi is supposed to have remained relatively unchanged. Unfortunately, I never made it there, so I can’t confirm or deny it. If I had, I certainly would have visited the museum, although I would have had to do it alone: surprisingly, not everybody is as excited about the history of the German postal service in Africa as I am. So keep that in mind while making your plans.
I did make it to Zanzibar, however, famous for being the home of Queen’s Freddie Mercury. But it just wasn’t the same.
Published on June 9, 2007
in General.
Penny, our Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier, has developed a case of canine cyclophobia. She has become deathly afraid of bikes. Which is unfortunate, because the trails along which I like to walk her also attract those evil mechanical monstrosities.
It also doesn’t seem to fit with the vision of Ireland I have in my head (Wheatens are an Irish breed), which includes lovable old men gliding through quaint villages on their trusty old bikes. Dogs yelping in fear would spoil the scene.
Or maybe that’s my vision of Wales. Which is, of course, based almost entirely on two screenings of The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain. So if there are any bicycles in the film, then yes, I’m thinking of Wales.
I’m not sure what it is about bikes that has Penny spooked. She’s not a total Luddite: she likes cars just fine. Maybe it’s the closer cooperation of man and machine that does it; she fears cybernetics and the mechanization of body, mind, and soul.
Or the extra height it gives people freaks her out. (That’s probably it, since she’s not scared of kids on bikes.)
Published on June 7, 2007
in School.
Actors search for rejection. If they don’t get it they reject themselves.
The same could be said for academics. In a sense, then, I’m lucky that others have saved me the trouble.
I’m more than a little disappointed that my proposal for a conference at Cambridge wasn’t accepted. I still might go to the conference–I’ll be in Europe anyway–but that’s not the same.
I already have my ticket to London, but that’s because whether or not I go to the conference it’s cheaper to fly through London than straight to Germany thanks to all the discount airlines in Europe. If I stay for the conference I can fly to Berlin afterwards for 1 EUR plus taxes and fees; if I don’t stay for the conference or any site-seeing, it’ll be a bit more expensive because it’s a peak time.
